How to Shortlist and Compare Options Beyond Rankings

Location matters.
Before I even started my UCAS application, I knew I wanted to go to university in London - I wanted to have regular access to famous art galleries and major events and felt like I needed to branch out into a bigger city than the one I had grown up in. Although you may not have a particular city or location in mind, you may have a rough idea of whether you'd prefer to attend a campus university (usually more self-contained and slightly further away from the town/city centre) or a city university (buildings are spread out across a city). Both have their pros and cons, so make sure to do some research on the location of your universities when comparing options!

Consider your work opportunities.
Whilst lots of universities have part-time jobs available on campus for students, they're often in high demand and may only recruit at certain points in the year. If you're someone who needs regular part-time work to support your basic living expenses, make sure to consider the job opportunities that might be available near your potential universities - campuses that are surrounded by lots of shops and restaurants will likely have more part-time work available than more remote campuses.

Evaluate available extracurriculars.
If you're passionate about a particular sport or hobby, make sure to check the sports and societies on offer at the universities you're interested in or have applied to. Whilst you can always start a new society if the one you want isn't there, it's significantly easier to join a pre-established society as you don't have to go through the set-up process. Most extracurricular activities can be found through your university’s Students’ Union website.

Look at graduate outcomes and course structure.
One of the key reasons I chose my undergraduate course (Fine Art and Art History) was that it was one of the few courses in the UK that combined both art history and art practice in equal measure. If you're keen to study a specific topic or area within your degree, have a look at the course pages of each university and compare the content/modules. Graduate outcomes (e.g. number of students in employment after so many months of completing the course) are another important statistic to look out for which are usually displayed on the course page as well.

Note your own preferences and personality.
Different universities suit different people, and it's important to keep your personal preferences in mind. Although I wanted to go to London, I didn't want to have a long commute to get to class everyday - hence why Kingston was perfect for me. Pay attention to possible commute times and accommodation options as well as the university's culture or vibe during an Open Day/Offer-Holder Day.

Hope this helps - if you guys have any tips on how you shortlisted your universities, please feel free to share them down below! :smile:

Eve (Kingston Rep).

(edited 3 weeks ago)

Reply 1

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

Hi @Kingston Eve

I agree whole heartedly that location is top of the list. I often tell visitors on open days that if they have a chance to just go out an explore the city/place, they should do so. Yes university is about studying, but to stay in top form, you need to be able to relax and enjoy yourself. So making sure that the place you're going to live for the next 3+ years is somewhere you would choose without the Uni being there, can help you not just stick it out but thrive at Uni.

Access to Home
I also tell people to consider access to home. For some people only going home at the end of the year or between semesters is what they want. In which case they feel stifled if they only move 20 minutes from home, since they feel they should visit more often because it's not far. Others might want to be able to go home every other week or at the drop of a hat for family events. In that case think about how you are getting home. If being able to see your family is important to you, then having a difficult journey home can make you feel isolated.

Commuters - Try the commute at peak time (8-9am /5-6pm)
Finally if anyone tells me they plan to commute I always check that they have actually tried that commute during Commuter traffic times. As a commuter myself, before starting at Salford I knew getting into Manchester from home was a direct train and didn't take too long. But when I actually started needing to be in for 9 am, I realized that the only bus I could catch to arrive on time for the train was at 6:50. The first bus of the day, meaning I could never make it in for an 8am (luckily I didn't have any). This wouldn't have stopped me choosing Salford, but I do still wish I had more carefully considered my commute before starting. I eventually started driving to a different train station that had parking so I could leave a little later. If I had checked these before starting I could have had much better sleep the first few months of Uni.

Eleanor
University of Salford Student Rep :grin:

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